Competent man
In literature, the competent man (sometimes peak-human) is a stock character who exhibits a very wide range of abilities and knowledge, making them a form of polymath. This trope was notably common in 1950s U.S. science fiction. [1] While not the first to use such a character type, the heroes and heroines of Robert A. Heinlein's fiction (with Jubal Harshaw being a prime example) generally have a wide range of abilities, and one of Heinlein's characters, Lazarus Long, gives a wide summary of requirements:
A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyse a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.
The competent hero,[4] more often than not, is written without explaining how they achieved their wide range of skills and abilities. When such characters are young, there is often not much explanation as to how they acquired so many skills at an early age.
Examples[edit]
Examples of early modern competent heroes include the protagonists of George Bernard Shaw, like Henry Higgins in Pygmalion and Caesar in Caesar and Cleopatra, as well as the citizen soldiers in Rudyard Kipling's "The Army of a Dream".
Many non-superpowered comic book characters are written as hyper-competent characters due to the perception that they would simply be considered underpowered otherwise. Batman, for example, is typically depicted as a member of the Justice League of America alongside Superman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern, all of whom are superpowered while he lacks superhuman powers of any kind. As a result, despite his original depiction as a vigilante, modern depictions of Batman portray him as having achieved the peak-human possibility in things physical and intellectual. The same treatment has been applied to Lex Luthor, who has always been Superman's archenemy despite the former's total lack of superhuman powers.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ Ellen Weil and Gary K. Wolfe, Harlan Ellison: The Edge of Forever, Ohio State University Press, 2002 Page 53. ISBN 978-081-420892-2 Search this book on
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- ↑ Heinlein, Robert A., Time Enough for Love, Ace Books (paperback edition, 1988). Page 248. ISBN 978-0-441-81076-5 Search this book on .
- ↑ Heinlein, Robert A., The Notebooks of Lazarus Long, G.P. Putnam's Sons. (paperback edition, 1978). SBN 399-12242-7
- ↑ ilyassal (2023-03-27). "Specialization Is for Insects: Quote Explanation". Quotelyfe. Archived from the original on 2023-03-27. Retrieved 2023-03-27. Unknown parameter
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